


In War, Victory

by Anjelica_Grey



Category: Dragon Age (Tabletop RPG), Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Anderfels (Dragon Age), Avvar, Avvar Culture and Customs, Blood Magic (Dragon Age), Darkspawn, Dragon Age Lore, Gen, Grey Warden Joining, Grey Wardens, Tevinter Imperium (Dragon Age), The Blight (Dragon Age), Weisshaupt Fortress (Dragon Age), griffons (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:28:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22374151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anjelica_Grey/pseuds/Anjelica_Grey
Summary: The First Blight had ravaged Thedas for ninety years, and most people waited hopelessly for the end of the world. But a few brave souls were convinced there was a way to end the war with the darkspawn...and they were determined to find it. This is the tale of how this small band of heroes came up with the Joining ritual and became the very first Grey Wardens.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 4





	In War, Victory

**Author's Note:**

> _Originally written for a Grey Warden fanzine called "In Peace, Vigilance."_

"You see?" Nakiri said. "Just as I told you, these catacombs will be a fine shelter for waiting out the dust storm." The Donark tribesman gestured grandly at the dusty cave, as if he'd carved it out himself.

Carinus snorted. "The one thing you can count on in the Anderfels is that you are never as safe as you imagine. We should check the tunnels to make sure nothing foul dwells within."

Nakiri shrugged, turning toward the dark tunnel with an eloquent sigh, but was halted in his tracks. "Wait," said Lycus, brushing off his elegant robes. "I do appreciate these lovely accommodations you found us, marred only by the minor inconvenience of a perilous climb up a sheer cliff. But I fear it might diminish our much-needed rest to be interrupted by your final agonized shriek."

The mage and the scout had fallen into an odd camaraderie since Carinus had begun assembling his new band of darkspawn fighters, and this trip to procure mounts had cemented it; Nakiri just smirked. "Oh? And what looming peril awaits me, o wise scion of Tevinter? An attack of vicious moths?"

"No, if it were only insects, even _you_ could handle it," Lycus retorted. "But this was a shrine to Razikale."

"Yes," Carinus said dryly. "The giant statue of her face carved into the mountainside did rather give that away. But considering the dragon gods stopped answering their own priests years before any of us were born, I doubt Razikale will take issue with our presence."

"True, but I was referring to her followers. They're probably long gone by now, but the chosen of Razikale did love to guard their secrets."

"Meaning... what?" Nakiri raised an eyebrow. "Sharp spikes up the bum of the unwary intruder?"

"Possibly, though I meant things like spell wards. Now that you mention it, though, spikes up the bum do sound unpleasant." The mage's lips quirked in a smile. "Regardless, either I or Flavia should help scout, to watch for magical hazards."

"Flavia will do no such thing." The other mage had finally finished the climb, followed by the last member of their little group, an impassive woman named Myrin. But while the fighter had immediately begun making camp, Flavia had perched upon a low boulder, examining a miniscule tear in her fine robe. "After that ridiculous scramble, I shall remain seated on this flat and stationary rock, thanks ever so."

Lycus gave Carinus an apologetic glance. "Very well. It would appear our scout is stuck with me, then."

Nakiri grinned. "Try to keep up, Altus."

"Try to stop me, Saltu."

________________________________________

Two hours later, the pair had found twelve traps, seven rune wards, three barrier spells, and no signs of life. After removing the hazards, they were headed back to camp when Nakiri paused to examine a dark alcove. "We missed a side tunnel. Looks like you're not done working yet, mage," he teased.

Lycus followed with a weary nod, too tired to return the jibe... but in the next moment, both men jumped to alertness at a sound in the darkness ahead. Sharing a glance, they readied their weapons before Nakiri edged silently forward, blending into the shadows. Lycus stretched out his senses looking for traces of magic and found a strange aura, but before he could examine it, the sounds of a scuffle broke out. A word of power to his staff flooded the tunnel with light.

The scene it revealed was not what he'd expected.

Blinking in the sudden brightness, Nakiri sat astride a bedraggled elf he'd tackled to the ground, but a second elf, this one a female with hair like flames, stood behind him with a makeshift dagger pressed against his neck. "Let him go," she snarled, expanding her glare to include Lycus. "I swear by the Dread Wolf, we will _not_ go back. We will die if we must, but we _will_ take you with us."

"...what?" Lycus said intelligently.

"She means it," the first elf said quietly. "She'll kill you or die trying. Whatever the slavers are paying you to track us, is it worth dying for?"

"What in the Void are you _talking_ about?" Nakiri asked his captive.

Before he could reply, a third voice emerged from the shadows, this one speaking in an accent Lycus couldn't place. "Be at ease, Adanni. They do not hunt us." He was not so crass as to ogle strange women, but this one made it a challenge. The light from his staff gathered in her long white hair like the sun behind a fleecy cloud. He caught the barest hint of that odd energy he'd perceived before, but as her eyes flashed blue in the light, it faded. Like her companions, she was clad in rags, but she wore them like a queen's regalia.

"Close your mouth, Altus, before a bird flies in." The mage flushed, glaring, but Nakiri merely grinned before turning back to his prisoner. "I should let you up, then, though it seems a waste to let such a beautiful man get away. I am Nakiri," he said, helping the elf stand. "And you are...?"

"Thelrian," he answered shyly. "And this is my sister Adanni, and our friend Kaja."

"Charmed. My companion holding the fancy torch is Lycus. And I assure you we are _not_ working for any filthy slavers, may they all be eaten by chimeras." The sudden edge in Nakiri's voice quickly faded back into his normal teasing manner. "So. It is good to meet you, Thelrian... though it was slightly less good to meet your sister, what with her dagger at my throat. But now that we are friends, would you care to join us at our camp? We have provisions, and you all look in need of a meal."

Adanni had begun to lower her weapon, but brought it back up at that, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. But her brother waved away her concern. "Kaja said it's okay, and you know she's never wrong. If it means we get to eat something besides elderly nug, I say we go."

Grudgingly, she nodded, and followed Nakiri and Thelrian out of the tunnel, giving the Tevinter mage a wide berth and a glare. The white-maned human trailed after them, leaving Lycus to bring up the rear, wondering just what they'd gotten themselves into.

________________________________________

"I can't imagine what you were thinking, bringing them here," Flavia hissed. She'd leaned closer than Lycus found strictly necessary, but he could see why she didn't want her words to carry when she added, "I know you've a soft heart for these matters, but our mission here is too important to delay for what is essentially stolen property."

Unfortunately for Flavia, Nakiri's ears were better than she realized. "They are _not_ property," he growled, after checking to see their new companions were out of earshot. Myrin had taken charge of the trio when they arrived, and now they were eagerly biting into some of the group's flavorless trail rations while the older woman set about patching their clothing with bits of a worn blanket. Satisfied, the scout turned back to Flavia with steel in his voice. "There must be a problem with your eyes, Tevinter, because those are _people_ , not things. If you look closer, you'll be able to make out the difference; the part where they breathe and speak should be a clue."

Flavia sighed. Lycus supposed it was to her credit that she didn't wither beneath Nakiri's glare, but the farther they got from Minrathous, the harder it was to see his childhood friend in a positive light. "Yes, I'm aware," she spat, "but regardless of any sympathy we might have for their unfortunate plight, we have pledged to focus on defeating the darkspawn. This is no time to rescue random runaways."

"This is _exactly_ the time. If we cannot help our brothers in need, then we have no world _worth_ saving." Nakiri tilted his head with a challenging glare. "Or do you think yourself too exalted to see elves and slaves as brothers? Is that it, Tevinter?"

She turned to Lycus for support, but he looked away, uncomfortable. "As you wish," she snapped. "The archdemon will doubtless be pleased at the extra fodder when we fail to defeat it because we stopped to nursemaid every wretch in Thedas." With a swirl of robes, she stalked off to a corner to study some books they'd found in the abandoned caves.

"You should keep a better leash on your bitch, Altus, lest she move past barking and bite."

"Flavia is not my _anything_ , least of all that," the mage protested.

"Oh? The way she climbs into your pocket at every turn would suggest otherwise."

Lycus winced. "It's... I've known her since childhood; our families intended us to marry. I told her I was leaving, that our countrymen cared only for power and wouldn't bother to address the real threat until their mansions crumbled around their heads. She agreed, said she wanted to join me, to fight the darkspawn." The mage's brows knit in consternation. "I believed her. I still do, for what it's worth. And she's an extremely talented mage, even more than I, if I'm honest. She's just..." He trailed off, sighing.

"You can take the girl out of Minrathous, but you cannot take Minrathous out of the girl?"

"Exactly so. Flavia isn't a bad person; she's just been sheltered all her life and doesn't know what it's like outside the city gates. She'll come around in time."

"Hm. And do you suppose that will be _before_ or _after_ she tries to turn our new white-haired friend into a smoking puddle for the crime of catching your eye?"

Lycus groaned, burying his face in his hands, but it didn't keep him from hearing Nakiri's laughter as he walked away.

________________________________________

"So after the darkspawn attacked the slaver camp, we escaped in the chaos with a few supply packs. We picked a direction away from the monsters—the 'spawn and slavers both—and started running... and here we are." Thelrian said, munching on a piece of dried journey bread as if it were the finest delicacy. A day had passed, and the dust storm raged on. Having nowhere else to go, the erstwhile slaves had stayed, and Adanni had finally begun to lower her guard—though that merely meant she carried her dagger in her belt instead of in her hand.

"So you crossed half a desert on foot, found the only shelter for leagues, and settled in the one corner not riddled with traps?" Nakiri shook his head in disbelief. "You have incredible luck, my friends."

The elf's glance darted to Kaja, but he just shrugged. "Luck was never on our side before; maybe it finally felt guilty and wanted to make it up to us. But what brings you here... and from where?" He cocked his head, eyeing Nakiri. "You're friendlier than most Tevinters I've met." His eyes widened, and he hastily turned to Carinus and Lycus. "No offense meant, sers."

Lycus snorted. "None taken. And try not to look quite so pleased at the comparison, Saltu."

"What means this word, 'Saltu'?" Kaja asked. "It is not his name, but you often call him so."

"It's our little joke," Nakiri grinned, "but also an answer to Thelrian's question, as it happens. Lycus is what his countrymen call an Altus, a mage of the upper class. I took to calling him that now and then—"

"To be irritating," Lycus interjected wryly.

"I would never!" Nakiri replied with mock indignation. "He responded by nicknaming me Saltu, the Tevene word for 'jungle.' I hail from the jungles of the Donarks to the north, you see." He leaned toward the newcomers and whispered loudly, "He was so proud of his play on words, and he so rarely has cause to feel clever that I hadn't the heart to object." Lycus rolled his eyes, drawing laughter from Thelrian and Kaja. Even Adanni unbent enough to smirk.

The mirth faded when Thelrian turned to the next member of the group. "What about you, Myrin? How did you end up here?" The travelers shared a weighted glance, and a long awkward silence made it clear the question had been a mistake. But finally, the fighter began to speak.

"Had a farm along the river near Nordbotten, here in the Anderfels. Land had weathered the Blight better than some. Strong fences warned off brigands and darkspawn scouts." She stared into the fire, face impassive. "Me and my man worked the land. Our younglings helped... three grown, two still too young for heavy work, but old enough for fetching tools and such. I went to take goods in to market. The others stayed home to bring in the rest of the crops." Muscles clenched in her jaw. "'Spawn attacked while I was gone. Found most of 'em in pieces. Couple of 'em, didn't find at all."

When she looked up, her eyes burned with fury. "Grabbed up my scythe and went to the nearest garrison to join up. Smug Tevinter bastard said they didn't take women, 'specially not ugly old peasants, but I could serve on my back if it was dark enough." Lycus studied the floor, bleakly wondering if a day would ever come when he wasn't embarrassed to claim his homeland.

Carinus cleared his throat. "When I found her, she was getting ready to seek out the darkspawn on her own. I told her of my plan to create a force to fight them, and she joined me on the spot, something I have been glad for many times since."

Kaja rose and knelt before the older woman, her blue eyes bright in the dim light. "I weep for your sorrow," she said softly. "It is hard to find hope in such darkness. But I tell you this: what you are doing now _will_ make a difference, and all those you save will honor the memories of those you have lost." Myrin studied her face for a long moment, and whatever she saw there opened the floodgates she'd kept locked since the attack. Kaja's arms went out, and Myrin fell upon her shoulder, silently sobbing into her long white hair.

________________________________________

"So how will you do it?"

Lycus looked up to meet Adanni's challenging glare. "I... beg your pardon?"

"You should, Tevinter."

"No, I mean—well yes, I suppose you're correct; I seem to spend a lot of time apologizing for my countrymen." He shared a weary glance with Carinus over the map they'd been studying.

"Get used to it," she said.

The mage pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Did you have a question, Adanni?"

"How will you do what you say?" she demanded, with arms folded and skepticism heavy in her voice. "You say you'll fight the darkspawn, but people have been doing that for decades. Kaja says this'll change everything, but I don't see how. What's so special about you?"

"To begin with, fighting the darkspawn is _all_ we'll be doing," Carinus said, warming to his pet subject. "No petty disputes between nobles. No border scuffles. Nothing but darkspawn. We will accept anyone from any background who agrees to renounce ties of home and country to focus on ending the darkspawn menace."

Adanni's eyebrows rose. "From any background? So you'd take elves... not as slaves, but as equals?"

"Yes," the knight answered firmly. "There will be no slaves among us. I want only those who commit their whole hearts to this battle."

The elf fell silent at that, but started when Nakiri chimed in from across the campfire. "You forgot to mention the flying bit."

"Oh, right," Carinus grinned. "Must have slipped my mind."

"We came out here to meet an Orth woman named Jaela," Lycus explained. "She is a griffon rider who believes she can teach us to tame and ride griffons into battle."

"Flying," she breathed, eyes wide. "Yeah, that'd be special all right."

________________________________________

"My mother used to tell stories about the time before the darkspawn," Thelrian said the next morning as they broke their fast. "We'd sit at her knee, and she'd share tales she learned from her own mother, who learned them from _her_ mother... going all the way back to Arlathan, the elven city with its gleaming towers spiraling up toward the sun." He sighed, looking out the mouth of the cave where the dust storm had finally subsided, leaving the sky its usual Blighted grey. "I could barely imagine a time when the sky was clear and blue, let alone a time when elves were free... but she certainly made it sound good."

"What happened to her?" Myrin asked, as she packed their supplies in preparation to leave.

"Our master murdered her for blood to fuel a spell," Thelrian said, unblinking. "I would've been next, but he got more blood than he expected when Adanni broke in and slit his throat."

"If I'd been faster, I could've saved her," his sister murmured into the uncomfortable silence.

"And if you'd been slower, they'd both be dead," Myrin said. "If there's one thing I've learnt, child, it's that 'what if' is the enemy of peace. You don't know what _might_ have happened, only what _did_ happen. You saved one of your kin and took a bad man outta the world, and there's an end to it."

Carinus nodded. "Well and truly spoken. If I stopped to consider all we have lost to the darkspawn, I would quit ere I began. I can only focus on what we have done, and what we shall do in days to come."

"It is not enough," Kaja blurted.

"What?"

She blinked. "Oh, no, that was badly spoken. I only meant..." She paused, chewing her lip. "Your army will be brave and strong, and the griffons will be a great boon, but... there is one more piece to this puzzle, something we are missing."

"Begging your pardon, my lady," Carinus said, "but what experience have you with war, to know what we need?"

Kaja tipped her chin up defiantly. "My mother is Birgit Sky-Singer, Thane of Vigil's Hold, jewel of the Avvar. I have trained to hunt and fight since I could stand on two legs. You may trust I know something of battle, lowlander." She took a deep breath, returning to her normal serene countenance. "So I say to you, _it is not enough_. To defeat the darkspawn, we must gain some power over them."

"My people drink the blood of their enemies to gain their power," Nakiri interjected. Lycus grimaced, and the tribesman laughed. "It is but a ritual tasting, Altus. Do you suppose we sit down to dine with a steaming mug of dead foe?"

"Does that really work?" Carinus asked doubtfully, looking to Lycus. "I can't imagine blood would have the ability to grant someone else's power—"

He was interrupted by the elves' mirthless laughter... and a snort from the corner where Flavia sat packing up the books they'd found. "You look to the wrong place for your answer, my lord," she said. "Despite the popular assumption that all of Tevinter drips with blood magic, our virtuous Lycus was far too pure to sully himself with such things."

"But you were not," Nakiri said shrewdly.

She ignored him. "All I will say is that blood does hold power, especially when infused with lyrium and magic. Whether one who is not a mage could tap it through simple consumption, I cannot predict." She gave the tribesman a mocking smirk. "Though you are certainly welcome to find a darkspawn and try it for yourself."

"But darkspawn blood is poisonous."

"Indeed," she said coolly, and he laughed.

"You know," Thelrian began thoughtfully, "My mother spoke of herb lore our people practiced—"

Adanni cut him off with a sharp glance, and turned to Carinus. After eyeing him for a long moment, she said, "Ser Knight, you say this new army of yours will treat everyone as equals." He nodded. "If you give your oath on that, we'll join you. And...and maybe our mother's stories will prove to be more than just bittersweet memories."

Solemnly, he met her gaze. "On my honor, I swear to you that we shall never condone slavery. We shall judge people on ability, not origin, and shall be wardens of all Thedas, not any one race or nation."

When the group began the slow climb back down the cliff, it had three more members. As he waited for the others to progress, Lycus looked at Carinus. "Wardens of Thedas, hmm?"

The knight paused, thoughtful. "It has a certain ring to it, does it not?"

________________________________________

After the dust storm, the remainder of the journey was uneventful, and they finally met up with their Orth contact, Jaela. Adanni loved griffons at first sight and soaked up every bit of knowledge Jaela had to offer. Nakiri and Thelrian were also enamored of the creatures... though more so with each other, judging by the ever-increasing time they spent together. The rest of the group approached the huge, fierce animals with more hesitation. Privately, Lycus was less than enthusiastic about sailing through the air on a twelve-foot-long bundle of claws and feathers, but he made the best of it.

Until he fell off.

Jaela had them working with fledglings her tribe had rounded up. She'd explained that griffons chose their riders, so they needed to interact with younglings that hadn't bonded with anyone... but putting an inexperienced rider on an untrained mount was a recipe for disaster. Instead, she'd trained the newcomers one at a time on her own griffon, an even-tempered creature named Cloudfoot. At first, they'd been simple passengers, which had been exhilarating. Over time, Jaela trained them in the proper seat and signals and gave them more control, which had been unsettling. And finally, after weeks had passed, she'd sent them up alone, which had been thoroughly unnerving. Adanni had whooped with glee. The others came through with varying degrees of excitement and relief. And Lycus...

Lycus signaled Cloudfoot to begin her climb before he'd fully finished strapping himself in, made the mistake of looking down, and promptly fell fifty feet into a patch of scrubby foliage.

When his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was Kaja's face above him. "Be still," she said, blue eyes glowing. "You have broken many bones." She laid gentle hands upon his arm, which was bent at an unnatural angle. Any pain he might have felt was utterly eclipsed by his shock at the familiar sensation of magical healing flowing from her fingertips.

She'd moved on to heal three broken ribs before he could work past his astonishment to speak. "You... you're a mage?! But how? How did you hide it all this time?"

Before she could answer, Flavia came crashing through the underbrush. "Lycus!" she cried, flinging herself down beside him, heedless of the damage to her favorite robe. "Are you all right?"

"A lame ankle and a hard hit to the head, but the brush broke his fall," Kaja said. "He was lucky."

"Yes, lucky," Lycus mumbled.

________________________________________

"I believe an explanation is in order."

He hadn't been able to see Kaja alone until the following morning. Flavia had fussed over him incessantly until he'd finally snapped at her in irritation. The wounded look she'd tried to hide as she left only worsened his mood, but he was determined to learn the truth about their Avvar companion. He found her sitting on an outcropping of rock, staring down the mountain into the hazy grey distance.

She started guiltily before schooling her expression into polite confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play games, Kaja. Why did you hide that you're a mage? And how?"

"You... you took a hard blow to the head. Mayhap it seemed—"

Lycus caught her wrist as she made to leave, and the power that sprang from that small point of contact threatened to weaken his knees. When he met her glance, her eyes were wide; clearly she felt it too. Her gaze flicked to his mouth and he caught his breath, wondering what the strange energy between them would taste like. And then he didn't have to wonder, because like magnets, they drew together, and their lips met.

He had no idea how much time passed that way, until reluctantly, he remembered his original purpose and let her go. Shaking his head to clear it, he said, "Please, Kaja... just tell me the truth."

She looked away. "You will not like it," she sighed, and began to tell him how the Avvar trained mages.

When she got to the part about how the clan's shaman guided spirits into the bodies of young apprentices, he gaped in shock. "They made you an abomination on purpose?!"

"That is what you see?" she demanded. "In the weeks you have known me, I have lost control, attacked innocents, summoned demons?"

"Well no, but—"

"Your people see spirits as demons. Mine see them as friends, guides, gods... a natural part of the world. Mayhap if your kind did not rail against them so, unwanted spirits would not fight so hard to remain."

He shook his head. "That's... a lot to swallow. But it still doesn't explain how you hid your nature."

"At the end of a mage's training, the shaman sends the spirit out again. But slavers raided my clan before my training was over. They would have bound and gagged me if they knew I was a mage, so the spirit showed me how to hide my power. I met Adanni and Thelrian, we escaped, and the spirit guided us across the desert to where you found us."

"So... you're still possessed!? Right now!?"

Kaja nodded. "This all must seem very strange, but I beg you to trust me. I do not have all the answers; spirits do not work that way. But I know we were meant to help you bring the light back to this dark world. And..." She faltered, looking away. "And my heart is glad the spirits brought me to you."

Deep in thought, he almost didn't notice when she rose to walk off, but he spoke just before she left the clearing. "Kaja?"

"Yes?"

"What kind of spirit is it?"

She gave him a small smile. "Hope."

________________________________________

In due course, they and the fledgling griffons made their return to the group's makeshift headquarters at Weisshaupt. Adanni had become Jaela's assistant, helping her train aspiring griffon riders, and the sky overhead was filled with the beating of wings.

Carinus often stopped for updates on their progress before rushing off to another recruiting trip or strategy meeting. Each time, Adanni proposed another name for their group that included their grey-feathered companions. The day she hit upon a suggestion he liked was the same day a delegation from the dwarven city of Kal-Sharok arrived, including a band of hardened warriors led by legendary fighter and Paragon Moroc the Maul.

A new energy infused the camp. Carinus's dream was truly becoming a reality.

Lycus and Kaja pored over every magical tome they could find, seeking the elusive edge she said they needed. If their chairs were a bit too close together, or if their hands brushed as they turned pages, no one commented. But it had been no surprise when they found Flavia's tent empty, with a note saying she'd grown tired of dirt and deprivation and had gone home to Minrathous.

She had, however, left one of the books she'd taken from Razikale's shrine. A page crammed full of meticulous notes was stuck in beside a ritual for using a subject's blood to create a bond with them, as a limited way to share their consciousness. At Kaja's eager urging, Lycus sought out Thelrian and picked his brain about the herb lore of Arlathan. Slowly, they cobbled together a ritual that—in theory—would allow them to listen in on the thoughts of their foe... and thus to sense their presence, and know where they would attack next.

"This is it!" Kaja beamed, once they'd assembled their comrades. "This is the missing piece!"

"Even with the purifying herbs, it will be dangerous," Lycus warned. "There's a good chance subjects may not survive."

Kaja nodded. "Some will not. It is a high price to pay. But it will _work_."

A heavy silence filled the air. And then Myrin spoke.

"I'll go first."

________________________________________

The night they'd planned for the ritual arrived, and Lycus checked and triple-checked their preparations. "Be at ease," Kaja told him, but the fear of sending a good woman to her death haunted him.

"I'll do it," Carinus said, startling him. "Once all is ready, I will give the chalice to Myrin."

"What? Why?"

The knight squared his shoulders. "This was my grand plan, my dream. I saw the fire in Myrin, and I recruited her. If she will take this risk for us all, the least I can do is hand her the cup."

Lycus nodded. "As you will, then. We can begin when you're ready."

They headed for the only completed room in their future fortress. Everyone at Weisshaupt had gathered there, and in the center Myrin waited, her new armor polished and her eyes calm. Solemnly, Carinus stood before her, bearing a silver chalice that held deadly poison and the spark of the world's salvation. The room was utterly silent as he began to speak.

"With this cup, you are the first to truly join the Grey Wardens, Myrin. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And..." He swallowed hard. "And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten, and that one day we shall join you."

Myrin nodded.

She took the chalice.

And she drank.

**Author's Note:**

> The actual lore about the creation of the Wardens is vague, obscured by legend (and probably by game writers leaving themselves wiggle room for future lore!). But between the DA TTRPG and the World of Thedas books, we know the Wardens were created in -305 Ancient (890 TE), at Weisshaupt, by a knight named Carinus. The group included dwarven Paragon Moroc the Maul, and a Donark tribesman named Nakiri, who was the first to suggest using darkspawn blood, as his people ritually consumed the blood of fallen enemies.
> 
> Beyond those few tidbits, the origins of the group remain a mystery, especially how they first came up with the Joining ritual. It always made me curious. So, this is my imagining of how it might have happened. :)


End file.
